Machine for applying postage-stamps to envelops.



TENTBD JULY 24, N06

T, F. MGKEY. MAHINB FR PPLYNG PSAGE STA MPS TU ENVELP:Y

APPLIGATIGN FILED OGT.

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THGMAS F. Vh/lcilifir, OF ALBERT LEA, MINNESOTA.

MQHlNE FOR APPLYlNG PGSTAGE-STAMPS TOl ENVELOW.v

No. 826,955. specification of Letters Patent. nai-.enten July 24, rece.

Application riad october 2.19ct. serio No. acosta i TQ all whom it muy/concern: l of c iexible connection w, eXtendin over Be it known that i, inoinis F. MCKEY, a guide-pulleys O on a frame P. lmine iately citizen of the United States, residing at below the plunger is an electromagnet Q, the Albert Lea, in the county of Freeborn and l core of'whi'ch serves asasupport for thatpon 6o State of Minnesota, have invented certain tion of the envelop to which the stamp is e j new and useiul improvements in Machines plied, and it is arranged close' enough to tii for Applying `Postage-Stemps to Envelops, of 1 plunger to attract it when the magnet is enerwhich the iollowing'is a specification. l gized. The knife or cutter R 1s arranged My invention relates to ma hines adapted close to the core of the magnet so as to sever o5 Io to apply stumps tolenveiops, dac. the stain s ,close tc the edge of tlie envelop. 4.

it more particularly relates to machines in 'I he ta. @le S, where the operator stands and which postage-stamps ere drawn from a roll, l deli ci; `.lcps to the machine, is hinged rnoistene'd, and applied to envelops, which l at e to the frame D, and it carriesa down may also be moistened,rendering them better wardly-extending rod. T, passing throughs 7o I5 adapted to receive the stamps. casing U, and carries on its lowerend within According to my invention l provide a the casing a contact ,whichfcoerates with s col or reel on which is wound a strip or l a. contact t to o en and close-t e circuit of ribbon of stamps and carry the outer free end the battery Y.' -PThe rod T is normally held of the strip through feed-rolls which are actuby a spring t2 to open the circuit; ,but 75 2o ated to inove the strip intermittenti' to feed when the table is depressed the circuit is one stamp at a time to devices whic i' cut the closed through the electroniagnet Q, and the saine irom the strip. As the stamps are fed plunger L is ulled down, causinslr the stamp to the cutter they are moistened, and immeto be severe from the strip Iand appliedfto diately after a stamp is cut from the strip it the envelop. V 8o is ressed upon the envelop. if desired, the envelop may be moistened. nthe accompan 'ing drawingsigure 1 is a. at the proper point to receive the stamp by a perspective view o si stamp-allixing machine moistener V, comprising a tank yfilledI with constructed in accordancewith rn invention. water and havingra wick fv. The strip of Fig. 2 is a detail view, on an en arged scale stamps is uided om the reelto the cutter 8 5 3o and in section, showing particularly the relaby a troug i Z, andv it may be sup orted and tive arrangement 'of the moistener for the enuide'd between the feed-rolls an the cutter velops, the cutter, the pressing-plunffer, and by awire guide Z. the electromagnet Jfor operating it. giig. 3 is Both the stamps and the envelope may be v a detail view in section, showing the devices moistened or, only one of them may be mois- 9o Jfor making and breaking the electric circuit tened.

which energizes the magnet. The operation of the machine will be readily The bed-plate A supports a frame B, in understood from the fore'ping description, which is mounted a spoo or reel C, carrying a but briel r stated it is as follows: The o erstrip or ribbon of postage-stampsX. Another ator stan s at the table S and places enve ops 9 5 l 4o treme D, mounted on the bed-plate', supports one at a time between the core ofthe magnet feed-rolls E sind F, one oi' which iscovered and the plunger. i As each envelop is thus with felt e, dipping into a tank oi water G, adjustedV the operator presses down on the while the axle on the other roll carries c pintable, thus closing the electric circuit at t t" ion H, meshing with e spur-wheell of larger through the circuit connections a b.- rlihe roo diameter provided with a circular series ci electromagnet being thus energized,the plunpins J, engaged by a pawl K and operated ger L will be drawn down, cautinthe stamp a manner hereinafter ex ilained., As the to be severed Jfrom the strip and t .en pressed pawl is actuated the ieedlrli lers are\operated down uponthe envelop, the envelop having to feed the stamps iorwardfto the proper exbeen previously moistelied at the proper point roi;

5o tent. f. I or the stamp moistened indire manner before Within theiraxne D is arranged a'n plunger explained.. As soon as tile stamp is thus an L, carrying on its lower end a steelishoe M plied the operator releases ressure u )on the and heving at its up'ier end an upwardly-ex-'- ltable,whc thenrises,thus realrng he ele@ tending bar N, which passes through a guide trie circuit, and the weighdWcauscs the phn1m 1 1o l d ot" the traine and connects at its upper end ger L and the parte connected therewith to with a counterbelcncingoveightWbymeans rise. In doing so the pnwl K is caused to weig the feed-rollers to the turn the pins J to a sufficient extent to move l proper amount to feed forward the postage-stamps to the proper position to be severed and applied to an envelop at the next operation. These operations are repeated rapidly to affix stamps to elnve'lopsas quickly as the operator can feed them to the machine.

While I prefer to employ electromagnetic devices for operating the plunger, some-parts of my invention are novel apart from these electromagnetic devices.

1,.l Al stamp-affixing machine comprising feed-rolls for. advancing a strip of stamps, a rt-ically-moving plunger for pressing the stam s upon `enve ops, al counterbalancingt tending toraise theplunger, a cutter for seven'nggstamps from the strip whenl the 11m er descendaan electromagnetic device or rafwing the plunger downward against the force of. the counterbalaming-weight, and. meansfor controlling the action of said-elec tromagnetic device.

2. A` stamp-aiiixing machine, comprising feedrollsor. advancingv a strip ofstamps, a. vertically-moving plunger for pressing the stamps upon theenvelops, a cutter. for sever ing stamps fromthestrip, a vertically-moving` table and means operated by the table for. causing the plunger tri-descend, sever astamlpfrom the strip and press it upon the enve op.

3. A.. stamp-aflxingy machine, comprising eedfrolls for advancing a. stripof stamps, a

vertically-moving plunger for pressing the stamps upon the envelops, a` cutter for severing stamps from the strip, a counterhalancing-weight for the plunger, an electromagnet for attracting the plunger and moving it downward, an electric circuit for energizing the magnetand devices for opening and closing this circuit.

4. A stamp-aiiiXing machine, comprising feed-rolls for advancing a strip of stamps, a vertically-moving plunger for pressing the stamps upon the-envelope, a cutter for severing the stamps from the strip, an electromagnet for attracting the-plunger and moving. it downwariha hinged. table, an electric circuit for energizing the'electroma'gnet and devices operated-hv the hinged tahlefonopening and,

closing' this circuit.

5. A stamp-alixing n'lachine, comprising feed-rolls for advancing a strip of stamps, a vertically-moving; plunger for. pressing the stamps uponthe envelope, arcutter for-sever.- ing stamps from the strip, anelectromagnet for operating the-plunger, an. electriecircuit for energizing the magnet', (.levicesfnr. opening and closing this circuit, means for moistening the stamps heone they are cut' and:

means for moistenizg theenvelopsbefomreceiving the stamps.

lnt'estimony whereotl have hereunto sul scribed-mygname.)

v THOMAS F; MGKEY.

Witnesses# .HENRY A. MoRcAN, ANNA Oi Suriname. 

